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Here’s where things stand on Wednesday 25 June 2025:
- The ceasefire between Israel and Iran, announced by US President Donald Trump, appears to be holding, as Israeli forces continue their war on Gaza, killing at least 21 Palestinians since midnight.
- The White House refutes an intelligence report that says US bombings of Iran’s nuclear sites did not completely destroy the facilities and only set the programme back by a few months.
- Both Israel and Iran have claimed victory in the 12-day war, with Iranians holding celebrations in Tehran and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claiming a triumph that will stand for generations.
- Iran says at least 610 people, including 13 children, have been killed and at least 3,056 others wounded since Israel launched its attack on June 13. In Israel, at least 28 people have been killed in Iranian strikes.
- Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 56,077 people and wounded 131,848, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the October 7 attacks and more than 200 taken captive.
Israeli forces round up 17 Palestinians in West Bank: Report
At least 17 people have been arrested by Israeli forces in a wave of raids across the occupied West Bank this morning, reports Wafa. They include:
- 12 arrested in Hebron or the nearby town of Surif;
- two brothers arrested in Balata refugee camp, near Nablus;
- two people from several towns near Bethlehem; and
- a young man from the town of Beitunia, near Ramallah.
Iran’s parliament approves plan to pause cooperation with IAEA: Report
Iran’s Nournews site reports that the country’s parliament has passed a bill to suspend cooperation with the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Under the plan, IAEA inspectors could only enter Iran with explicit approval from the Supreme National Security Council and if the agency guarantees the security of the country’s nuclear facilities, Nournews quotes a member of parliament’s presidium as saying.
Israel killed at least 31 so far this morning
This Gaza death toll comes to us from hospital sources in the Strip.
At least 10 of those people were killed seeking aid, up from nine we reported earlier.
Another Palestinian aid seeker was killed by Israeli fire in Rafah moments ago, with five people wounded in the incident.
Israeli forces shoot, kill elderly woman in West Bank: Report
During a raid in Shu’fat Camp near Jerusalem early this morning, Israeli forces fired shots that hit a 66-year-old woman in the head, killing her, according to the Wafa news agency.
Wafa named the woman as Zahia Judah al-Obaidi.
Israel’s Ynet News site reports that Israeli police have launched a probe into the incident.
Israeli forces wreck Palestinian home near Jerusalem with no warning: Report
Israeli forces have begun to tear down a home in the Palestinian town of Hizma, near Jerusalem, according to the Jerusalem governorate.
Footage shared by the governorate and verified by Al Jazeera shows an Israeli bulldozer tearing into the home’s walls. The governorate says the owner received no prior warning.
Israel running low on some key weaponry: Report
Quoting three US officials, NBC News reported that the Israeli military is “running low” on some key weaponry after its 12-day war with Iran.
NBC News quoted two unnamed US officials as saying Israel is specifically low on munitions.
The development comes as a fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel mediated by US President Donald Trump continues to hold.
There was no immediate comment from Israel on the report.
The US provides billions of dollars’ worth of military aid to Israel every year. It has also reportedly aided Israel in shooting down incoming missiles from Iran, after Israel launched an unprovoked military operation on June 13.
Nine Palestinians queueing for aid killed in central Gaza
Sources at al-Awda and Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospitals are reporting that nine Palestinians were killed and several injured while waiting for aid near the Netzarim junction in the central Gaza Strip, our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic said.
The killings are the latest in a wave of daily carnage near aid distribution points established late last month by the controversial Israeli- and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNWRA) has labelled a “death trap”.
How Israel failed in Iran
Political commentator Ori Goldberg asks what Israel actually accomplished after its bombing campaign of Iran?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared two goals in launching the short-lived war: “decapitating” Iran’s nuclear programme and “regime change”.
Was the nuclear programme decapitated? The answer is likely negative, writes Goldberg.
Did Israel generate “regime change” in Iran? No, and Israel likely did the opposite, he writes.
“Iranians saw Iran in its entirety under attack and not just ‘the regime’.”
Many Iranians who considered themselves staunch opponents of the regime and especially of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have now found themselves supporting both as a result of Israel’s attack, he adds.
Read Ori Goldberg’s full opinion piece here.
Far-right Israeli minister: ‘Open the gates of hell’ against our enemies
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has said “the gates of hell need to be opened” for the enemies of Israel, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that a ceasefire has been reached with Iran.
In an interview with Israel’s public radio Reshet Bet on Wednesday, Ben-Gvir declared that Israel has “achieved success in Iran”.
He said Israel “needs to leverage” that achievement “and show everyone that we are the masters of the Middle East”.
Ben-Gvir, who is being sanctioned by the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Norway for “repeated incitement of violence against Palestinian civilians”, has been one of the most hardline members of Netanyahu’s cabinet advocating for regime change in Iran.
Photos: Palestine supporters protest near NATO summit in Netherlands
Iran’s nuclear sites ‘not obliterated’ after US strikes, Gaza hospitals stretched thin
A ceasefire deal between Iran and Israel announced by United States President Donald Trump appears to be holding as US media report that the bombing of Iranian nuclear sites did not completely destroy the facilities.
According to a leaked US intelligence report, the bombing has only set the programmes back by a few months.
More on the 7 Israeli soldiers killed in southern Gaza fighting
Earlier, we reported that seven Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza in one of the deadliest single incidents in the besieged Palestinian territory so far this year.
According to The Jerusalem Post, the soldiers were killed following an explosion in the southern city of Khan Younis on Tuesday.
Israel’s military has released the names of six soldiers who were killed and is withholding the name of a seventh until the family has been notified of his death.
Another soldier from the same 605th Combat Engineering Battalion was also reported seriously injured in a separate incident in southern Gaza, according to the military.
In January 2024, at least 24 Israeli soldiers were also killed in a day in Gaza.
Iran executes 3 people accused of spying for Israel: Report
Three Iranians accused of spying for Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, have been executed, according to an Iranian news outlet affiliated with the judiciary.
The three suspects were executed on Wednesday morning in Urmia prison in the country’s northwest border area with Turkiye, according to the Mizan Online news site.
The suspects allegedly smuggled “assassination equipment” into the country under the guise of an “alcoholic beverage shipment”.
The report did not say when the suspects were arrested, only that they were executed on charges “of waging war against God and spreading corruption on Earth through collaboration with Israel”.
Iran had already executed at least three people accused of spying since Israel launched its military operation against Iran on June 13.
What is the human cost of US-led wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan?
According to an analysis by Brown University’s Watson Institute of International & Public Affairs, US-led wars since 2001 directly caused the deaths of about 940,000 people across Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and other post-9/11 conflict zones. University’s Watson Institute of International & Public Affairs, US-led wars since 2001 directly caused the deaths of about 940,000 people across Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and other post-9/11 conflict zones.
This does not include indirect deaths, namely those caused by loss of access to food, healthcare, or war-related diseases. These indirect deaths are estimated to be 3.6 to 3.8 million, bringing the total death toll, including direct and indirect deaths, to between 4.5 and 4.7 million and counting.
During that time, at least 30,000 US military personnel, contractors, and allied troops were also killed. This includes at least 7,052 soldiers, 8,189 contractors and 14,874 allied troops.
Read more here.
If you are just joining us
Let’s bring you up to speed:
- The truce between Israel and Iran continues to hold, as Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, tells Fox News that the US was hopeful about a long-term peace deal with Iran.
- Witkoff also insists the US attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites “damaged or destroyed” the country’s centrifuges “in a way that it will be almost impossible for them to resurrect that programme”.
- Israel’s war on Gaza continues, with Israeli forces killing at least 21 Palestinians in the early hours of the morning, including children and aid seekers.
- The Israeli military says at least seven soldiers have been killed in fighting in the Gaza Strip.
- The US House voted overwhelmingly to set aside an effort to impeach Trump on a sole charge of abuse of power for launching military strikes on Iran without congressional authorisation.
Nearly 19,000 children in Gaza admitted for acute malnutrition this year
The UN’s humanitarian agency (OCHA) says a total of 18,741 children in Gaza have been admitted for the treatment of acute malnutrition since the beginning of this year.
In the first two weeks of June alone, there were 1,648 new admissions, with 17 of the patients suffering from complications, it said.
This comes as Israel – which eased its blockade on Gaza in May after 78 days – continues to severely restrict the amount of food entering the war-battered Strip.
“The current volume and pace of deliveries remain critically insufficient to meet the needs of Gaza’s entire population, which is facing high levels of acute food insecurity,” OCHA said.
“Consistent, frequent, large-scale deliveries through crossings are urgently needed to meet needs and stabilize availability, pricing, and affordability of wheat flour and other basic staples as well as reduce tensions and rebuild trust within communities. All UN-supported bakeries remain closed,” it added.
News of Iran ceasefire spreads as Israel continues killing in Gaza
News of the ceasefire between Iran and Israel has spread quickly.
But here in Gaza, not only are we seeing very overcrowded hospitals, but this morning felt heavier.
The silence is much heavier than before. Not because it is peaceful, but because nothing has changed, and the bombs have not stopped falling, and the killing continues.
This is the emergency ward of al-Shifa hospital, and already we are seeing an overcrowded space here and the injured continue to pour in following the latest wave of Israeli air strikes.
This place was already overwhelmed and now, it is on the verge of collapse.
Israeli air strikes hit multiple areas across Gaza City, and the result is dozens of injured – most of them are children.
As we walked between the corridors of the emergency wards, we couldn’t help but notice that this place does not have enough space. And what is going on right now is that there is no medical equipment or medical supplies and everything seems to be collapsing.
Hundreds arrested in Iran for alleged links to Israeli ‘spy network’: Reports
Iranian intelligence and security forces have arrested more than 700 people suspected of being part of Israel’s “spy network” in the country, according to local news reports.
Iran’s Fars news agency and the state-affiliated Nournews report that the suspects were arrested during Israel’s 12-day war with Iran.
Israel’s military assault on Iran also involved what has been described as an unprecedented Israeli intelligence operation that included the targeted killings of high-ranking military officials and prominent nuclear scientists.
Previous mass arrests by the Iranian government have been criticised by human rights groups for lack of due process.
Families of captives held in Gaza urge Trump to intervene after Iran-Israel ceasefire
After brokering the Israel-Iran ceasefire, family members of Israeli captives held in Gaza are urging US President Donald Trump to take “swift and decisive action” to bring their relatives home.
“Our hearts remain consumed with fear for our loved ones still trapped in Gaza,” the family members said in a message to Trump, contained in an online petition.
“Children, parents, daughters, sons, brothers, and sisters—they are all waiting for us to save them, to end this nightmare,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in the petition posted online.
“We are asking you now—please prioritise the release of our hostages. Do not forget them. Help secure their return,” the petition added.
Negotiations for the release of the remaining captives in Gaza as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas have broken down.
Israel said a military offensive to free the captives is the only option and has killed hundreds of Palestinians while also imposing a near-complete military blockade of the besieged territory where hundreds of thousands are battling hunger while trying to survive indiscriminate Israeli bombings.
![People protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and demand the release of all captives. [Ronen Zvulun/Reuters]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/2025-03-31T183044Z_1244352515_RC2HODA8N9WS_RTRMADP_3_ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS-PROTEST-1743455656.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
Is the 12-day Israel-Iran war really over – and who gained what?
Since Sunday, the Middle East has lurched from escalating war to a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran. A truce seems to be holding, and what US President Donald Trump called “The 12-Day War” between Israel and Iran seems to be over – for now.
Meanwhile, Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iran’s leaders have all claimed that the pause in the conflict happened on their terms.
So, what’s the truth? What did Israel achieve? Did Iran manage to defend its strategic assets? And is the truce a pathway to peace?
Find out in our explainer here.
ICRC mourns fifth worker killed in Israel’s war on Gaza
The International Committee of the Red Cross says Mahmoud Barakeh was killed in the Gaza Strip on Sunday as he was on his way home.
Barakeh – who leaves behind his wife, three sons and two daughters – worked supporting logistics at the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah, the group said in a statement.
“His killing is a profound personal loss and a painful moment for our teams,” it said. “This heartbreaking loss is yet another stark reminder of the immense challenges our colleagues, and the people of Gaza, face each day.”
Trump envoy says talks with Iran ‘promising’
We have more from Steve Witkoff.
The envoy told Fox News that the US was hopeful about a long-term peace deal.
“We are already talking to each other, not just directly but also through interlocutors. I think that the conversations are promising. We are hopeful that we can have a long-term peace agreement that resurrects Iran,” Witkoff said.
“Now it’s for us to sit down with the Iranians and get to a comprehensive peace agreement, and I am very confident that we are going to achieve that,” he added.
Israeli media cite sources saying Iranian nuclear programme not ‘obliterated’
The Israeli prime minister is touting this “absolute victory” over the Iranians, saying that they completely destroyed their nuclear capabilities.
They have also destroyed an arsenal of ballistic missiles that the Iranians have, and Netanyahu said was there to “destroy Israel”.
But some officials speaking anonymously to Israeli media have said that the Israeli and American strikes on those nuclear facilities, while they degraded the nuclear programme, it has not totally been obliterated.
Additionally, Netanyahu says along with his military that they are now shifting gears towards Gaza.
The war on Gaza is still ongoing and during the 12 days that Israel was at war with Iran, nearly 860 Palestinians were killed.
US government postpones briefings for Congress on Iran
The Trump administration has postponed classified briefings about Iran for members of the Senate and the House as lawmakers continue to question the legality of the US’s attacks on Iranian nuclear sites.
The Associated Press news agency, citing multiple informed sources, reported that the Senate briefing has been rescheduled for Thursday so that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio can attend. Speaker Mike Johnson said the House briefing has been pushed back to Friday.
Democrats slammed the delay.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said it is “outrageous” that the administration postponed the briefings.
“There is a legal obligation for the administration to inform Congress about precisely what is happening,” Schumer said. “What are they afraid of? Why won’t they engage Congress in the critical details?”
Congressman Pete Aguilar, chair of the House Democratic caucus, meanwhile, said that legislators “need evidence, we need details and we need to know them now”.
UN’s atomic watchdog does not know fate of Iran’s enriched uranium
Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has told Fox News that the nuclear watchdog does not have “information on the whereabouts” of some 400kg (880 pounds) of uranium that Iran has enriched to 60 percent purity.
Grossi said Iranian officials had told him they would be taking protective measures, “which may or may not include moving around this material”.
“There is a question there: Where is this?” he said. “So, the way to asserting that is to allow the inspection activity to resume as soon as possible. And I think this would be for the benefit of all.”
The IAEA chief also said the US strikes on the three Iranian nuclear facilities caused “an important degree of damage”, particularly at Natanz and Isfahan.
Grossi’s comments come as politicians and commentators in Iran call on the country to abandon the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, saying cooperation with the IAEA has offered no protection from attacks on what they say is a peaceful nuclear programme.
Seven Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza fighting: Military
Israel’s military has released the names of six soldiers who were killed in Gaza, and is withholding the name of a seventh soldier until his family has been notified of his death.
The seven were all killed on Tuesday in Gaza, according to the military, and ranged in age from 19 to 21 years old.
Those identified were all members of Israel’s 605th Combat Engineering Battalion.
An eighth soldier from the same unit was also severely wounded on Tuesday night in Gaza and has been medically evacuated to Israel, the military said.